West Norriton Walmart workers plan strike as part of national action on Black Friday

WEST NORRITON — Walmart Supercenter, located at 650 S. Trooper Road in West Norriton, may join a number of other Walmart stores across the country where strikes are planned for Black Friday in response to working conditions, according to CorporateActionNetwork.org.

The proposed strike, which is scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. on Friday morning, is part of a nationwide strike of Walmart employees organized by the United Food and Commerical Workers (UFCW) International Union earlier this fall and since announcing the plan, members of UFCW have released statements on both their websites and other news outlets condemning the actions of the company.

“The biggest issue these workers are facing right now is the retaliation for their bravery to stand up and speak out,” read one entry on the organization’s website.

It has been reported the company has been targeted because it “dragged down wages, forcing their workers to work irregular schedules, and intimidated and took retribution on any workers who fought back,” according to CorporateActionNetwork.org, a website that advertises itself as “a hub to support campaigns that work to expose, end and prosecute corporate abuse and to restore balance to our economy.”

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In response to the national attention that the proposed worker strike has garnered, Walmart has defended its practices, citing, among other facts, a lower turnover rate than average retail turnover and assuring customers that it would still be business as usual on Black Friday.

“We are preparing to have a great Black Friday across all of 4,000 locations in the U.S. and we don’t think these actions by the UFCW will have any impact on our Black Friday plans whatsoever,” said Ashley Hardie, the manager of media relations said in an email. “We have a great group of associates at Walmart. In fact, more than one million associates will be working throughout the holiday weekend and they’re excited about our Black Friday plans these year.”

Local sales circulars are advertising Black Friday sales beginning at the store at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, with new sales being introduced incrementally throughout the day.